Ten things you never knew about Daniel Radcliffe
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-11-25 14:58
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Since winning one of the most coveted roles in movie history at the tender age of ten, Daniel Radcliffe has emerged as one of the biggest, and indeed richest, teenagers on the planet. At just 19-years-old, his Harry Potterfranchise has already scooped 2.7 billion worldwide, he's courted controversy for stripping nakedon both sides of the Atlantic and once admitted to losing his virginityto a much older woman! With the release of the hugely-anticipated Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Princefinally upon us, there's never been a better time to unearth ten quirky titbits about everyone's favourite boy wizard.
1.Daniel Jacob Radcliffe was born on July 23, 1989 in Fulham, London. His mum Marcia was a casting director, while his dad Alan worked as a literary agent.
2.He reportedly beat out a string of young actors, including My Family's Gabriel Thomson, to score the role of Harry Potter. And how did he find out the part was his? "I was in the bath at the time, and my dad came running in and I started to cry. It was probably the best moment of my life." Memorable!
3.After nearly a decade playing the bespeckled hero, it's only understandable that he sometimes forgets who he is. "If there's another person in the room called Harry and somebody shouts their name I do respond slightly, which is embarrassing," he admits. "But no-one has ever said it in the throws of passion. That would be the end of that session. Go now!" Rightly so...
4.Naturally blue-eyed, some fans have questioned why he doesn't wear contact lenses to achieve the bright-green hue his character is famous for. The reason? "We tried contacts in the first film... but they were excruciatingly painful. So I don't think we'll be going back down the contact road if I can avoid it."
5.As a notorious practical joker, he admits to pulling pranks on both the Harry Pottercast and crew. His more infamous achievements include creating a "kick me" sign for co-star Emma Watson to stick to Robbie Coltrane's back and changing the language of his mobile phone to Turkish. Poor man!
6.He suffers from a neurological ailment called dysphraxia that can affect his movements. Although it's only a mild bout, he admits that it sometimes causes him difficulty with tying shoelaces and writing neatly.
7.Despite being one of the wealthiest teenagers in the world, he still maintains an admirable work ethic. "I love being on set and being on stage and I wouldn't do anything to jeopardise that," he insists. "I think in seven years of doing Harry PotterI've missed two days for gastric flu."
8.Being adored by millions of people across the world must be rather lovely, but what does he find the worst thing about fame? "If I had to pick one it's writing the autographs," he says. "It's not the actual writing of the autographs but the fact that my name is too long!"
9.Not content with conquering Hollywood, the multi-talented Dan was recently outed as an aspiring poet! His work has been published under the pen name 'Jacob Gershon', a combination of his middle name and the Jewish version of his mother's maiden name Gresham.
10.Finally, he once revealed that he had quite a unique request for when he dies: "I'd like my ashes to be fired out of a cannon with 'Let him RIP' on the urn. I saw it on TV once. It was brilliant!" Explosive!